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BOCES fees and vendor timing create uncertainty for North Merrick’s budget
Summary
District leaders told the budget committee that rising Nassau BOCES administrative fees and late vendor pricing create budgeting risk because many fees are finalized after the April board adoption deadline; BOCES purchases can generate state aid but the fees are set by BOCES and apportioned across component districts.
Miss Donnelly said Nassau BOCES administrative fees are set by BOCES and apportioned across component districts; the district expects its BOCES share to rise to about 6% next year (from roughly 5.48% this year) and noted some tuition and service lines have large increases—"we know some of the tuition rates are going up 45%." Committee members asked whether districts could collectively pressure BOCES for pricing information; Miss Donnelly said component districts receive fee schedules from BOCES but cannot control the administrative fee-setting process.
The presentation stressed timing challenges: several BOCES prices and other vendor quotes arrive after the district must adopt a budget, and transportation contracts rise by CPI (final CPI figures are available in June). Miss Donnelly described this as "flying blind" for parts of the budget and said the district uses historical spend and projections to estimate unknowns while continuing to build reserve balances when possible.
The board will receive updated price information when BOCES issues its electronic letters of intent in early April; staff advised the board and committee that the second state-aid run may also affect final revenue projections.
